Wet Paint!

The Rotary Club of Bali Canggu recently helped raise funds via an art auction of artworks created by inmates at Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison.

Among the artists featured at the auction was one of the “Bali Nine” Australian Myuran Sukumaran, who, with prison approval and support, plans to fund an organic garden and improve drainage and basic environmental conditions at the jail.

Emerald Community House Director Mary Farrow, who has been providing support to Kerobokan inmates for over a year, said: “The prison arts program provides a rehabilitation activity that engages inmates and provides an opportunity for expression. The artwork produced by the prison arts studio will fund a new permaculture garden and help improve drainage in the garden area.”

Earlier this year, acclaimed Australian painter Ben Quilty led an art class at the prison art studio. The quality of artworks produced by the inmates improved remarkably as demonstrated by the active bidding for the artworks at the recent auction.

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“We raised over IDR 65,150,000 to help improve the lives of those living in the Kerobokan jail,” said Tricia Kim of The Rotary Club of Bali Canggu. Adding, “Thank you so much to those who came along and donated generously.”

Earlier this year, local Indonesian non-governmental agency (NGO), Indonesian Development of Education and Permaculture Foundation (IDEP) visited the prison to help develop a plan for the inmates’ garden and address drainage issues. The Rotary Club of Bali Canggu
then offered to host an auction of artworks by the inmates to help fund the prison garden project.

Gede Sugiarta of IDEP said: “We recently worked with the Bangli prison to create an organic garden and the inmates found it very therapeutic. They get exercise and they grow fresh vegetables they might not get otherwise.

“We’re really excited to work with Kerobokan prison and the inmates to build a garden and improve the environment at the same time,” Gede said.